Man pointed gun at his wife

A Lithuanian man faces deportation after holding a revolver to his sleeping wife’s head and threatened to kill her.

Arturas Gecas suspected she was having an affair but she assured him there were no problems between them and turned over in bed, a court has heard.

The woman fell asleep crying about the incident at Kew Crescent, Heanor, on August 19. She did not alert the police.

But a week later, Gecas pointed a pistol at her while drinking vodka with friends in the home. Alex Wolfson, prosecuting, said: “He pulled the trigger and the gun clicked. He said ‘are you scared to die?’”

The woman left the house and returned soon afterwards to find that Gecas, 44, had driven off in her car.

He was jailed for two years after admitting having an imitation firearm and five rounds of ammunition. He was banned from approaching the woman for five years and was told he was likely to be deported after jail.

Judge Jonathan Gosling said he accepted the weapons could not fire “missiles which could kill” and that the bullets would not fit them. But he said Gecas had shown “an entirely casual” attitude towards guns.

“It seems you struggled to understand why the prosecution was taken so seriously. In this country, firearms are always treated seriously. They are closely regulated and controlled. It is increasingly clear they are possessed illegally by criminals.”

Quentin Robbins, mitigating, said: “He intended to frighten her. He had no intention of carrying out the threat.” His wife had a job while Gecas was unemployed and felt that was “the wrong way around”.

Mr Robbins added: “He was not supporting the lady and a spiral of depression and paranoia affected him. He believed she was having an affair with the friend.